Hero to the End
by ChetCheerio
Summary: A couple of songfics about Peter Petrelli. I don't own the character or the songs, but I hope you like it!
1. Me Against the World

**Okay, this is a songfic I wrote to one of my favorite songs, "Me Against the World" by Simple Plan, for one of my favorite Heroes, Peter Petrelli. I was captivated by Future Peter from Volume 3, and I decided to go a little bit more indepth into why he shot Nathan. I think this song goes very well with Peter from both the future and the present. This is my first songfic, so please be nice if you review.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Heroes or the song, even though I really wish I did.**

Peter glared up at the security camera as he passed it on the streets, hoping that his brother would see him through the lens. There was no reason to hide his rage now; everyone with abilities was already labeled as a terrorist, so what was the point in hiding anything anymore? They were destroying the lives of innocent people, and someone had to do something about it.

_We're not gonna be just a part of their game  
We're not gonna be just the victims  
They're taking our dreams  
And they tear them apart  
Til everyone's the same  
_  
No one seemed brave enough to stand up for what was right. Everyone just seemed to accept that they would never live like normal people, and Peter didn't think that was right. He had been flushed out of every hiding place he'd ever had, and had even been mauled because of his abilities. The scar across his face was proof of that. People had treated him cruelly and inhumanly, just because of his powers, and he was sick of such imminent discrimination being ignored and so common.

_I've got no place to go  
I've got nowhere to run  
They'd love to watch me fall  
They think they know it all_

Nathan… just his name filled Peter with a hateful passion. He used to look up to his older brother, used to consider him a kind of idol. Now he wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he had the chance. He was the one who had done this to people with powers; as soon as he'd gotten rid of his own with Mohinder's help, he had declared abilities to be dangerous and an international problem. Even now, Nathan was rounding up people with abilities, exterminating them. Peter had been targeted multiple times, but none of the squads sent after him had stood a chance.

_I'm a nightmare, a disaster  
That's what they always say  
I'm a lost cause, not a hero  
But I'll make it on my own  
I'm gonna prove them wrong  
Me against the world_

He had to change this. He had to bring equality back into the world. Nathan had always told him that he could never be a hero, that he would never be special, but now was his time to make a difference. Even if he were going to fight against the entire government, or even the entire world, he would fight until the end. He had a hope for the future, and he wanted that future to be full of normal people and people with abilities living side by side in harmony and acceptance. Just because they had special abilities didn't mean they were less than human.

_It's me against the world_

He was alone in his fight, that much he knew. But he couldn't just sit back and watch his own kind being treated like animals. He needed to do something about it. The government hadn't reached him in their brainwashing ways, hadn't convinced him that he was dangerous and not trustable like they'd convinced so many others.

_We won't let them change how we feel in our hearts  
We're not gonna let them control us  
We won't let them shove all these thoughts in our heads  
And we'll never be like them_

He would never be considered human again. Peter just wanted to be treated equally, but that would never happen. Times were desperate for people with abilities; someone needed to do something, something that would make an impact on the future. And if no one was willing to stand up and fight, he would do it alone.

_I've got no place to go  
I've got nowhere to run  
They'd love to watch me fall  
They think they know it all_

Nathan was ruining the future. He was making it impossible for two types of people to live together in complete equality and peace. The community of people with abilities was on the brink of war with the federal government; first had come the restraining laws, then the issued status of "terrorist", then the special prisons for "dangerous people". It disgusted Peter to think that someone sharing his own blood was responsible for all of this.

_I'm a nightmare, a disaster  
That's what they always say  
I'm a lost cause, not a hero  
But I'll make it on my own  
I'm gonna prove them wrong  
Me against the world  
_  
He tried to think back to when things had started turning ugly. Probably when Nathan had publicly announced the existence of people with abilities. At the time, Peter had supported the idea and had stood beside his brother as he had made his speech. But he had been keen to have Mohinder "remove" his ability, and he hadn't announced the existence of it at the press conference. Yes, that's when things had started turning bad. If there were only a way to erase that day…

_Me against the world_

Time traveling. Of course. He hadn't traveled back in time in a while, not since he had last had contact with Hiro almost three years ago. Poor Hiro, wiped off the face of the earth in a hail of gunfire. It wasn't his fault that he had powers, and people had killed him because they had been afraid of him and his abilities. Taking a deep breath, he teleported to his hideout on the outskirts of Los Angeles. It was time to prepare.

_Now I'm sick of this waiting  
So come on and take your shot  
You can speed up your insults  
But nothing you say is gonna change us  
You can sit there and judge me  
Say what you want to  
We'll never let you win_

"It's for the good of the country, Pete." That's what Nathan had said as he had told him that he was declaring people with powers dangerous. Peter didn't care what he said; he didn't think people with abilities were dangerous. They'd been judged without even being known. It was wrong. As he finished buttoning the old trench coat, Peter cast a last glance at the clock so that he knew what time he should return to. He closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath, and disappeared into the folds of time.

_I'm a nightmare, a disaster  
That's what they always say  
I'm a lost cause, not a hero  
But I'll make it on my own  
Me against the world  
_  
He was at the press conference. Below him, he could see his younger self, Matt Parkman, and Nathan standing on the pavilion in front of the many news crews. This was where it had all happened, where the first influences of the future were created. This was where things needed to be changed, where the future could be altered. Peter reached into his coat, his fingers closing around the grip of the small black pistol. He began to draw it as Nathan began to speak.

_I'm a nightmare, a disaster  
That's what they always say  
I'm a lost cause, not a hero  
But I'll make it on my own  
I'm gonna prove them wrong  
They'll never bring us down  
We'll never fall in line  
I'll make it on my own  
Me against the world_

He pointed the gun at his older brother. He had to do this, hard as it might be. He had to save the future, to being back the equality that had been lost on this very pavilion because of this very man. Nathan was still his brother, no matter how horrible a man he was, and memories came flooding into his mind as he aimed the pistol. He had to do this… he had to…

He squeezed the trigger, and the room was filled with screams.


	2. Never Too Late :: Hope

The night was cold. A faint drizzle fell down, coating the city in a blanket of mist. Peter walked along on the side of the street, the hood on his jacket shadowing his features. He looked normal in the crowd of people that inhabited New York City. But none of the people walking on the street that day could've guessed that he was one of the most powerful heroes on the planet.

_This world will never be  
What I expected  
And if I don't belong  
Who would have guessed it  
I will not leave alone  
Everything that I own  
To make you feel like it's not too late  
It's never too late  
_  
The world was slowly dying. The economy was failing, the government as corrupt as ever. In the comic books, heroes save the world from villains, from people who have tried to make the world a more horrible place. But in reality, it is not the villains that need to be defeated. It was the terrible flaws of humanity itself. And those flaws are hard to correct.

_Even if I say  
It'll be alright  
Still I hear you say  
You want to end your life  
Now and again we try  
To just stay alive  
Maybe we'll turn it around  
'Cause it's not too late  
It's never too late_

But there was always a glimmer of hope for the future. Peter embraced the thought of a better future, and he worked hard to make sure that hope was realized. He had a dream of a better place where people helped each other and learned to realize their differences, and accept them. But there was sadness in him that he tried not to show. Some people he had cared about hadn't lived long enough to see the new era of peace and harmony that he was sure was coming.

_No one will ever see  
This side reflected  
And if there's something wrong  
Who would have guessed it  
And I have left alone  
Everything that I own  
To make you feel like  
It's not too late  
It's never too late_

Hope for the future was all he had left. His past was too painful, and so he looked to the future and tried to find light in the darkness. It was the only thing he could do, keep moving forward and not look back. It was the only thing that kept him going. He wanted to be able to see the day when racism and prejudice was gone, when the world was finally united.

_Even if I say  
It'll be alright  
Still I hear you say  
You want to end your life  
Now and again we try  
To just stay alive  
Maybe we'll turn it around  
'Cause it's not too late  
It's never too late_

He wanted to be able to look into the sky and feel at peace, knowing that his mission to save the world was over. Being normal wasn't a top priority. He didn't mind having his powers, so long as he could control them and they didn't bring harm to others.

_The world we knew  
Won't come back  
The time we've lost  
Can't get back  
The life we had  
Won't be ours again_

He thought about his friends. He hadn't seen most of them in over a year. Ever since Sylar had been taken into custody by the government, most of his fellow heroes had gone back to living semi-normal lives. He had tried, but something inside of him kept him restless. He knew there was more of the world to save, that more people needed a savior than ever before.

_This world will never be  
What I expected  
And if I don't belong_

Peter wasn't going to just hang up his coat every night when he got back to his apartment and pretend that work was over. As a hero, work was never over. Someone always needed to be saved, whether it be from an enemy or from themselves. Saving the world wasn't something that could be done; the world needed to be healed, to be mended one heart and one soul at a time. It would take time and effort, but eventually it could be done.

_Even if I say  
It'll be alright  
Still I hear you say  
You want to end your life  
Now and again we try  
To just stay alive  
Maybe we'll turn it around  
'Cause it's not too late  
It's never too late  
Maybe we'll turn it around  
'Cause it's not too late  
It's never too late (It's never too late)  
It's not too late  
It's never too late_

Yes, the world just needed to be healed one heart at a time. To heal the world, you had to heal the people of the world. And Peter knew exactly what could do that.

Hope.


End file.
